Comfortably Numb
by Keikokin
Summary: Harry is captured by the Death Eaters. Things are not going well. Can he escape? COMPLETE SLASH


Comfortably Numb by Keikokin

Beta'd by Allexandrya

Key Words: Time Travel

4322 words

Rated: R/M

Harry/Lucius

Warnings: torture, several character deaths (not HP or LM)

Disclaimer: HP is owned by JKR, WB and others. No malciousness intended.

The metal bars glowed red with an unknown magic. Harry took off his shoe and touched the bar which sizzled off the sole, causing a smell of burnt rubber to permeate the air. He began to pace restlessly, cursing the fates for making him so foolhardy as to be captured by Voldemort. Rubbing his forehead to ease his headache, he thought back to what had put him into such a dire situation.

It had seemed so believable. A simple note was attached to a plain looking brown owl to his home. The note was a lunch invitation from Ron and Hermione asking to meet him at Honeydukes. Harry sighed, looking over to the two neighboring cages. Both of his friends had clearly been tortured. The sight of bloody whip marks making his stomach churn. He could only hope for their swift death if they were not rescued soon.

But what were the chances of that? After all, no one knew they needed help! His attention was drawn to the plain wood-planked door under the stone arch. It glowed from red to blue then faded. Harry leaned forward hoping it was a rescue.

A Death Eater, replete in hooded cloak, entered the room with chains in his hands. The magic was lowered from his bars and the chains were tossed in through the bars. Magically the chains snapped at his ankles and wrists despite his best efforts while the guard laughed. Once he was shackled, the rest of the loose chain connected his hands to his ankles so he couldn't even raise his arms. Harry's nostrils flared at the Death Eater who seemed amused.

As if a cruel joke, he was finally released from his cage, only to be so bound in chains he could barely move. With a wand at his back, Harry was prodded, poked and pushed out of the room, down a series of halls and into a large chamber. On a large dais in the center sat the bane of Harry's existence.

"Voldemort." Harry spat but was knocked to his knees by a vicious blow from his guard.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort grinned menacingly. Harry turned his head away from the revolting sight. If anything the Dark Lord had gotten uglier, his haggard skin hanging from his skeletal countenance.

"I could kill you now, boy, but I choose to have you entertain me first. Your little friends failed miserably in that respect." The court of Death Eaters that surrounded them laughed. His guard grabbed his face, another his throat while a third held him down. A horrible tasting mixture was forced down his throat as he sputtered and gagged in response.

"Now, boy, let's have some fun shall we? Do try to do better than the others." Voldemort gestured toward the walls. Harry almost hurled. In cages along the top of the walls, something he hadn't noticed before, were many of his classmates who had clearly been tortured like Ron and Hermione. He turned away. They were dead,

"The potion you just drank, so spiritedly might I add, will work ten times better than any Imperius. There is no chance you will be able to fight it with your weak, pitiful magic. Now, what sexual experience do you have, boy?"

Harry fought against the magic potion but he was unable. "Kissed." He barked out like a sea lion much to his embarrassment. The gathering laughed.

"Who would want to kiss you?" The Dark Lord sneered.

"Cho Chang," Harry bit out wincing from the pain that fighting the potion was causing him.

"OH her?" Voldemort pointed to a cage where Cho was hanging by her thumbs. Her clothes were torn, her hair shaved off and her life's blood pooled on the bottom of the cage. Harry closed his eyes in pain. When they opened again they flashed in anger at Voldemort.

"What's your greatest fear boy?" Voldemort rubbed his scaly hands together.

"D-Dementors," Harry whispered.

"Excellent," Voldemort sneered. "Send him back to his cage and guard it with as many Dementors as the dungeons will hold. Harry shivered unconsciously. He was surprised to hear himself yell in fear, as he tried to fight against his guards that led him back to his cage.

Voldemort was true to his word. Harry spent the night in the presence of no less than thirty Dementors. Each day he was asked embarrassing questions that tore at his self esteem, while each night he was driven mad by memories of his failings, his mother's death and the death of his friends. Sometimes he was beaten by the regular guards for fun.

Just as he thought he would kill himself rather than live another day Voldemort changed the rules. He was brought up to the chamber as before only to find one Death Eater there. Throwing back his hood, Harry looked up into the steely eyes of none other than Lucius Malfoy. He strode quickly up to Harry, reeling back for a moment as his nose smelled Harry. "Listen to me, Potter, and listen well. If you want out of here you will fall to the floor and stay there, don't move one muscle. Play dead," he hissed.

"Do it," came a voice to his left. Distractedly Harry looked to see Severus Snape gripping his left arm. Looking to his right he noticed there was Draco Malfoy, of all people, looking at him with concern. The absurdity of Draco looking at him with human emotions, was so far out of character Harry wanted to laugh.

"Please, Potter, just do it," Draco urged him. Harry nodded limply. He'd like nothing more than to lie down. Severus pushed a drink into his hands. Harry recognized the wonderful smell of pumpkin juice and drank it down eagerly. Besides water, it was all he'd had in days. Harry collapsed to the floor, drinking in the wonderful feeling of the cool floor against his cheek.

The floor reverberated against his face and Harry realized dazedly that others were coming into the room. But he stayed motionless. Part of his brain demanded it but another had decided it was too much like work to move anyway.

"What is wrong with that boy?" Voldemort snapped.

"He is dead, my Lord," Lucius lied.

"Most likely internal injuries," Severus compounded the lie further.

"Take him away," Voldemort sneered after giving him a swift kick to the ribs to which Harry just felt numbness instead of pain. Harry felt himself being taken away in a swirl of magic, before he gave into blackness.

It was sunlight streaming in large windows that woke Harry from his peaceful blackness. He sat up slowly, wincing from pain. Looking around the room carefully, so as not to make his head spin, he guessed that he was either in a five star hotel or Malfoy Manor. Spotting a figure in the corner, he asked the first question that popped into his head. "Where am I?"

"Chateau Frontenac in Canada," Harry was surprised to see Draco Malfoy walking over to his bed side. Okay, then it was the former he realized.

"It wasn't a dream then?" Harry had hoped it was all a nightmare.

"No, Potter, it wasn't. Weasley and Granger didn't make it out. But before you fly into a tizzy, we could only risk rescuing you. Potter, Dumbledore's dead. Poisoned, the same day the Dark Lord captured you. Since you were captured and he died all hell has broken loose. He's had free reign. The members of your Order managed to save most of the students at Hogwarts, but not all." Draco's blunt, tired cold voice told Harry in no uncertain terms this was all true.

Harry curled into a ball, no longer conscious of his pain. Severus entered the room, handing him a pain potion. He was having difficulty seeing past his tears to take the drink with shaking hands.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder he looked up to see Lucius Malfoy looking at him. "The wizarding world needs you. Understand, we've all suffered losses. It's up to you now. We have a plan, but it must be enacted quickly. I realize this is all sudden, but there will be time for mourning later. If you doubt you can trust us, remember that we risked our lives to rescue you. Now is the time to strike before he knows you are still alive."

"We can only stay here for so long before we are found. I suspect we have only a week, tops. So pull your self together Mr. Potter," Snape commanded. "Use your Occlumency training to empty your mind." Gulping back the wealth of emotions threatening to over take him, Harry did as he was told. It took him several attempts not to think of those already lost to the Dark Lord. Taking a deep breath, he stood up, ready for what needed to be done.

Harry had to refocus often during his day of hard training and planning. He was shown compassion he didn't know this particular trio of Slytherins had. They seemed to be watching for cracks in his composure, instead redirecting his emotion toward revenge. Snape gave him a sleeping draught for at the end of the night. Draco told him who had survived to boost his spirits and Lucius took him to the in-house Jacuzzi to soak his aching muscles.

It was during the soak that Harry felt himself lose his composure. To his surprise Lucius pulled him into his arms holding him as he cried. Shuddering with great heaving breaths of air after his emotional outpouring he looked at Lucius in wonder. "Why are you all being so nice to me? Especially you?"

"Because you are the last great hope for the wizarding world, is the answer to your first question, to the latter I suppose it's because it would have been nice to have someone do the same for me when Narcissa was murdered in front of my eyes."

Harry's mouth made several motions to speak but nothing came out. He swallowed and stared into the bubbling water. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you, as well I offer condolences for your losses. In a life as pain ridden as yours, it still doesn't get any easier does it?" the blond asked softly.

Shaking his head, Harry pointed back at Lucius' chest. "Do you mind if I…" A small smile pulled at Lucius' mouth as he opened his arms and Harry curled back up to his chest where he had cried before; if either man wept neither said anything just relishing the quiet presence of another.

The next day Snape pressed Harry to relate in graphic detail all of his encounters with Voldemort. It was during the retelling of the reanimation of Voldemort and the battle of wands that Snape stopped him. Turning to Lucius he said," Do you still have that amulet?"

Draco turned to his father as if asking his permission. Lucius gave an almost imperceptible nod. Draco reached into his pocket pulling out a small box which he unshrunk with a tap. The box grew and he sat it on a small coffee table in the room. Harry watched as Lucius plucked out a necklace handing it to Severus. Snape nodded then went off into the bathroom where he had several potion bottles.

"What was that?" Harry asked the Malfoys. Lucius inclined his head toward the washroom. Draco nodded then got up to give assistance to Severus.

"It's an amulet of souls. The essence of my late wife, Narcissa, is in there. After hearing your tale it makes sense to use it against the Dark Lord." Harry bit his lip trying to understand.

His eyebrows shot up. "You mean to tell me that amulet can capture the souls of those Voldemort killed and then turn them lose on him?"

Lucius nodded," Carrying him to the deepest pits of hell where he so justly belongs." Harry shuddered at the vehemence of bitterness seeping out of those words.

"Then why didn't they do that before?" Harry asked. "I mean there were enough of them, right?"

"Actually no, this is why your father told you to hold on and why your parents had to leave so quickly. You see the more spirits or tormented souls there are the more powerful they become, that's why mass murderers often go insane," Lucius informed him, gauging his reaction.

"But I had to get into a wand battle with him. He knows not to do that now," Harry hung his head.

"Not if another wizard distracts him," Severus said striding back into the room. The amulet glowed green now and Harry shivered.

Draco nodded. "Gives me the shivers too, Potter."

Severus sneered. "Really, get a grip, you two. Now this bottle," he held up a tiny blue bottle,"needs to be thrown as the Dark Lord dies."

"Why?" Harry asked. Draco shook his head at his manners. Lucius smirked.

"If you stop interrupting me, I could tell you," Severus growled. "This bottle will send those souls onto the proper afterlife instead of limbo."

"My parents are in limbo?" Harry asked feeling sick.

"Of a sort, their magical souls are trapped inside the wand that killed them. Since then he's killed hundreds. If they were to be released, his death would be assured." Lucius added.

"It would also destroy any magic left in him. That was the problem last time, the curse he cast on you Potter only did half the job, "Snape crossed his arms over his chest smugly.

"That's when I throw this at him," Draco held up a large green crystal. "When it shatters so will any remaining magic in that area."

"So when we do our part we disapparate?" Harry looked over the trio who nodded. "What are our chances?"

"If we can get him alone? Excellent, if not then…" Lucius looked at Snape who looked at Draco. A quiet understanding of what they faced settled over them.

"Can we get into Hogwarts? I have an idea of something he'd want to see again with a real body," Harry smiled.

"What would that be?" Draco asked.

Lucius gasped. "Can you get us all in there?"

"If I still had my Invisibility Cloak it would be easy, however, without it," Harry bit his lip with concern.

"I can brew an Invisibility Potion," Severus sighed turning on his heel off to do just that.

"Will someone tell me?" Draco growled.

"He's referring to the Chamber of Secrets," Lucius patted his son on the shoulder to soothe him. Harry nodded.

Draco grinned. "I've always wanted to see that!"

"But we wouldn't be able to apparate out of there," Severus reminded them all as he returned to the room for an ingredient.

"If we can get him into the water, maybe we can seal it?" Harry asked hopefully.

"There's water down there?" Draco asked.

"Maybe we should go see it, to plan this out properly," Lucius suggested.

That at least was agreed upon. Lucius spent the rest of the day teaching Draco and Harry the Invisibility Spell for when the potion wore off, while Severus prepared several more potions, should they need them. They arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest once it had gotten dark.

They found the castle to be guarded, however, so they instead apparated to Hogsmeade where they quickly ducked into Honeydukes. Harry then led them into the cellar of the closed shop where he showed them the passageway into the castle. Draco's jaw dropped. "This is how you snuck into Hogsmeade when you didn't have a signed permission slip, isn't it?"

"You would have been a far better Slytherin than a Gryffindor," Lucius said with admiration patting Harry on the shoulder.

"That's what the Sorting Hat told me," Harry shrugged.

"Just as well, you would have driven me crazy," Severus commented as they climbed into the dark tunnel.

"Who else knows about this?" Lucius asked with concern evident in his voice.

"The Weasley Twins, Lee Jordan and Remus Lupin, oh and Ron," Harry added hoping Ron wasn't asked about this before he …then again he didn't want to think about it.

Draco touched his arm, "There will be time for that later Potter." Harry nodded and carefully followed the tunnel until they entered into the castle. The interior appeared to be empty. Snape took the lead and Lucius took the rear as they made their way to the girl's bathroom.

"Myrtle?" Harry called out quietly. The sobbing girl zoomed into view.

"Harry, where have the students gone? It's been awful. The school was overtaken so I hid in the lake. But those Merpeople are simply dreadful and…" she stopped seeing he had company.

"I'm sorry, Myrtle. I'll see what I can do, but I'll need your help," Harry gave his best smile.

"Oh, anything for you, Harry," she sniffed and giggled twirling her hair.

"Great. Myrtle has anyone been down in the Chamber?" She shook her head. "Okay, if anyone comes this way will you pop down and let us know?"

"Sure. Harry, and don't forget if you die…" Harry nodded, smiled and turned to the sinks. Hissing quietly, he watched as they opened reminding him vividly of his second year. "I don't know if the Basilisk got cleaned up. It might smell pretty bad down there, it's not very clean either." With that Harry jumped in casting a spell along the way, so a large pillow met their landings.

As they walked on, it soon became apparent that the Basilisk was still there. The smell was overwhelming. Lucius had his wand out to banish it when Severus stopped him, "Are you mad? The potion ingredients I could get from that!"

Severus instead cast a petrifying charm on it then shrunk it until it could fit in a jar he had conveniently brought with him. Using the lid he scooped the tiny basilisk into it and sealed it shut with a look of utter joy. Harry rolled his eyes.

Draco and Severus went one way to explore, Harry and Lucius the other. Harry and Lucius came across a sealed room which Harry had to open with Parseltongue. A cleaning charm must have been placed on the room because it was spotless despite being a bit musty smelling. Lucius cast an air freshening charm on it.

The room appeared to be a sitting room of sorts. There was a door that led into a bedroom that made Harry blush. Mounted on the wall were whips, chains, paddles, dildos, and assorted other adult toys. Lucius closed the door," That can remain our little secret." Harry nodded, knowing he was still blushing madly, before beating a hasty retreat.

Draco ran up to them. "Come quickly! Severus is in ecstasy! Wait until you see this!

Harry wasn't sure he wanted to see Severus like that, but followed anyway. Draco took them to a small chamber that was filled with potion journals, ingredients, dark magic books, items and so on. It seemed to be Salazars' personal storeroom. Harry was entranced by a glowing crystal orb. As he touched it he felt a jolt of power surge through him and the yells of his companions before everything went black.

When he came to he was all alone. "Professor? Lucius? Malfoy?" Cautiously he walked out continuously calling for his companions. But to no avail, not knowing what else to do he made his way out of the chamber noticing odd things like there was no cave in, or sign of chicken bones anymore. He emerged once more into the girl's bathroom.

"Who are you? You don't belong in the girl's bathroom!" Harry turned in time to see a girl standing in the doorway.

"Oh, um sorry," he quickly left running into the hall which was filled with students. Harry felt utterly lost. What was going on? But that didn't even compare when he saw a much younger Sirius Black running holding hands with Remus Lupin! Once again he felt blackness over come him.

"I think he's coming around, Severus," Harry smiled as he came to, knowing that voice to belong to Lucius Malfoy and that he had to be back in his own time.

He opened his eyes then jumped back. His eyes went wide. "Professor Snape?" Severus had to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He smiled at his companion who was holding Harry up.

"Professor? I like the sound of that. He must have hit his head though. You better let him rest up, Lucius." Harry turned and gasped. If Lucius Malfoy was handsome at his current age, then he was sex on legs as a teenager. He felt himself blush.

"Hello and what is your name?" Lucius asked softly pushing the hair out of Harry's eyes. "And where did you come from?"

"Harry," he managed to say losing himself in those silvery blue eyes.

"Take him to your room and let him sleep this off," Severus said with a wave of his hand. "We can find out the rest in the morning."

Lucius smiled, making Harry's breath vanish right out of his lungs. "Come with me, Harry. I guess I get to keep you."

Harry was escorted to a separate room and Lucius shut the door behind them. "Do you have any objections to sharing a bed?" Lucius asked seriously.

"No," Harry whispered wondering when his voice would return.

Lucius laughed, pulling Harry a bit closer to him under the guise of taking off his robe. "I won't do anything unless you want me to. Do you want me to, Harry?" Lucius asked holding up a bottle of fire whiskey.

After two drinks, Harry was unable to stop his tongue and told Lucius the story of his life and what the future had to hold. After four he was carried away by his rampaging libido and kissed Lucius. The blond teen took control from there on in. He got very drunk and Harry lost his virginity that night to a very skilled, very young Lucius Malfoy. When he woke he was alone. He dressed and soon realized that he was really, really alone. There was no one in the whole school.

Hoping he was back in the future, he made his way to the Chamber of Secrets. His three companions were still there, but Lucius looked at him oddly as did Severus. It was Lucius that broke the odd silence. "I looked for you for a week, but I never saw you again."

"I was there for less than a day," Harry replied looking into the same eyes as he had in the past but in an aged face. He wondered if it would only be a one night stand. Or perhaps it already was since it took place years ago. They seemed frozen in time staring at each other. Draco looked at them all like they were mad.

"Well, I think we got everything," Draco shrugged. "We'd better get going." They used a port key to get back to the hotel. Things were still slightly off. Harry had never imagined that what he'd done in the past could affect the future so much. There was no animosity between himself and the Slytherins at all. Not able to sleep he went up to the in-house Jacuzzi again to think.

He was lost in thought and didn't realize he'd had company until he felt the sloshing of the water. Looking up he wasn't surprised to see Lucius. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all." Harry didn't know what to say or where to start.

"That glowing crystal orb as you guessed is a time travel device though we are uncertain as to why it was developed. Severus is still researching it, but he may never find the answer. Lucky for you it seemed to have a return feature. I assume the shock of it to your system made you pass out on the other end as well?" Harry nodded.

"But what happened here? I mean when I left there was a certain wall of animosity between Slytherins and Gryffindors even though we three were working together. Draco doesn't seem to mind me at all. And Professor Snape was downright friendly."

"I told them all about you before I forgot too much. They realized I had feelings for you. Then when you changed the past by becoming my lover it changed the future and how we perceived you. Voldemort even died as a result. I let all the Deatheaters know what he would do to other pureblood families and how he went mad. Luckily when you vanished I was able to find a pensive lying about. So I poured all my memories into it. When Voldemort came to us in our teens to join him, we turned on him and killed him in his sleep. Trust me when I say that's one body that will never be found."

"What? Then my parents? Sirius?" Harry hand flew to his forehead to find the scar was gone.

Smiling softly Lucius said. "You did it Harry. By going back in time, even by accident you saved us all by being my lover. Your parents, Sirius, Cedric Diggory, they are all still very much alive. "Harry burst into tears of happiness, relief and joy.

Lucius pulled Harry into his arms as he had been the other night when he cried over his lost friends. "I've thought about that one night for years."

"Good thoughts?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Oh yes, all good. Harry would you consider taking up where we left off? I've explained everything to your parents and they have no objections," Lucius looked Harry in the eyes seeking the answer. He smiled when he saw it then kissed the lover he had lost all those years ago to the sands of time.

9


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